In the case in which a detection of an extremely fine substance is carried out, a wide variety of specimen material detection apparatus has been used for enabling an inspection of such a substance by putting a physical phenomenon of a substance to practical use from the past.
As one of such specimen material detection apparatuses, there can be mentioned for instance a surface plasmon resonance apparatus (hereafter referred to as an SPR apparatus) in which a phenomenon for obtaining a high optical output by a resonance of an electron and a light in a minute region of a nanometer level or the like (a surface plasmon resonance (SPR: Surface Plasmon Resonance) phenomenon is put to practical use and an extremely fine analyte in a biological body is detected for instance.
As one of such specimen material detection apparatuses, there also can be mentioned for instance a surface plasmon-field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopic measurement apparatus (hereafter referred to as an SPFS apparatus) in which the analyte detection can be carried out with a higher degree of accuracy as compared with the SPR apparatus based on a principle of a surface plasmon-field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS: Surface Plasmon-field enhanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy) for putting a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon to practical use.
For the above described specimen material detection apparatus, a specimen material solution that contains an analyte (antigen) that is a detection target is prepared in advance, the specimen material solution is sent to a fine flow passage, and an analyte (antigen) is captured with an antibody that is fixed to a reaction field that is disposed in the fine flow passage. The specimen material detection apparatus is provided with a microchip solution sending system for sending a specimen material solution into a fine flow passage most commonly.
As such a microchip solution sending system, there can be mentioned for instance a system that is called a one pass type that is configured in such a manner that a specimen material solution passes through a reaction field only one time and a system that is called a reciprocation type that is configured in such a manner that a specimen material solution is reciprocated and passes through a reaction field in a repetitive manner (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 for instance).
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a conventional microchip solution sending system of a reciprocation type.
The conventional microchip solution sending system 100 of a reciprocation type is configured by a fine flow passage 110, the one side flow passage 132 and the other side flow passage 134 that are connected to the fine flow passage 110, and a micro pump 140 as shown in FIG. 11.
Inside the fine flow passage 110, a detection region 120 that is provided with a formed reaction field 122 is formed. On an edge part of one side of the fine flow passage 110, a first inflow outflow hole 112 is formed. The fine flow passage 110 and the one side flow passage 132 are connected to each other in such a manner that a solution can be flown through the first inflow outflow hole 112. In addition similarly, on an edge part of the other side of the fine flow passage 110, a second inflow outflow hole 114 is formed. The fine flow passage 110 and the other side flow passage 134 are connected to each other in such a manner that a solution can be flown through the second inflow outflow hole 114.
The micro pump 140 is connected to the upper edge part of the one side flow passage 132. By operating the micro pump 140, as shown in FIG. 12, the specimen material solution 136 that has been held in the one side flow passage 132 can be sent toward the fine flow passage 110 and the other side flow passage 134.
Moreover, the micro pump 140 can also send the specimen material solution 136 in a reverse direction of the solution sending direction described above by a suction of an air of the one side flow passage 132. In other words, as shown in FIG. 13, a solution can be sent from the one side flow passage 132 to the other side flow passage 134, and the specimen material solution 136 that has been held in the other side flow passage 134 can also be sent toward the fine flow passage 110 and the one side flow passage 132.
For the conventional microchip solution sending system 100 of a reciprocation type that is configured as described above, the specimen material solution 136 can be passed through the detection region 120 by reversing a solution sending direction of the micro pump 140 in a repetitive manner. By this configuration, an analyte of a desired amount can be captured at the reaction field 122 in a relatively efficient manner even in the case in which an amount of the specimen material solution 136 is small.